With the midterm election in November right around the corner, Mercer University is getting ready by offering students more ways to register to vote. We learned more about how they are helping students get signed up.
Mercer University is making sure students like Kenneth Lemoine are offered the chance to vote as soon as they walk on campus.
"They really helped me through it and it was just a very, very easy process," Lemoine said.
According to Lauren Shinholster, the school's Coordinator of Community Engagement, student registration has increased nearly 50 percent since 2016. Now, the school is looking at another approach starting this fall.
"So turbo votes make it easy to integrate their voter registration into our course registration, and we found that easier because the students are already going to be on that platform registering for classes, so there is just a little button that will let them know they can vote and register to vote here," Shinholster said.
Shinholster said they will host voter drives throughout the year, including at-large events that students attend also working with political groups on campus like the Young Democrats to get students engaged in voting.
Christian Hartley, a member of the Young Democrats, said the school has made sure students are informed.
"With the Mobilize Mercer group that started up holding all the debate watch parties, partnering with the different organizations on campus to get things done, to get students aware, that's the biggest thing," Hartley said.
Mercer University also came in first place among nine other universities in getting the most student turnout in the 2016 SOCON vote competition.
Shinholster said they're not looking to sway the vote to either side, but to make students feel more empowered.
"This is such a pivotal age for our students where they realize they can find their voice and really affect change, so we want them to have that power," Shinholster said.
Mercer University is also making sure out of state voters know how to properly accesses their absentee ballots.